Epilogue
Tristan sat up and stretched, trying to ease his stiff lower back as a warm breeze laden with the scent of roses blew through the huge open window of the summer house. He’d been sitting too long working on the latest story for Victor’s magazine. Little did he realize six years ago, when he’d agreed to let Victor print his journal entries as a way to make more coin, that his writings would become as popular as they had. After printing all of his journals and then printing them as four separate books, his stories were in even greater demand. He’d thought of refusing to write about the rest of his life in the army, but somehow putting down on paper what he’d lived through was cathartic. The guilt and old fears he’d carried with him for years eased and then disappeared as he wrote, and Arabella encouraged him to show what the army was really like. She’d said too many young men joined the army looking for glory and found only death.
His art and Arabella’s were also very popular, another surprise and a pleasant one. Arabella was now a highly sought-after illustrator for botanical texts, while his paintings were in demand for prints and the walls of the posh middle class.
Marcus had continued to write his amusing tales of the army, and to his great surprise, they were highly demanded, and he was now a regular writer for not only Victor’s magazine but for two other men’s periodicals. Marcus’s grandfather had passed at the ripe old age of ninety, and to the great surprise of his family, had managed to reverse his fortunes before his passing. Marcus’s eldest uncle had died, with no male heir and his second uncle had disappeared in South America a decade earlier while searching for the fountain of youth. This meant Marcus’s father was the new count, and as Marcus was the eldest son, he would be a lord one day. Not that Marcus cared; he and Clara were happily married with two sons, a daughter, and another on the way. Marcus, with the help of his father-in law, had wisely invested his funds and was now a wealthy man.
There was a soft gurgle, and Tristan turned to look down at the sleeping form of his two-year-old daughter Belinda, or Bell for short. Bell had Arabella’s bright hair, but his eyes and was already showing that she was as smart as her mother. She was a beautiful child; Tristan thought and was a delight, and his greatest joy. Tristan adored his sons, Trent and Howard, but there was something about little Bell that filled him with delight.
Tristan looked up to watch Arabella, where she worked at her easel a few feet away in the shade of the summer house; on the lawn before them were all their friends. Marcus was leading two tiny ponies about with his
eldest son Matthew on one and Trent the other, accompanied by a very pregnant Clara wearing the largest straw hat Tristan had ever seen,
Sprawled on rugs and piles of cushions were their other friends and their children. Tristan had agreed to Percival’s plan about selling the roses and lavender and converting the dower house into an inn and attached shop.
Percy had been correct when he said that people would want to see not only his fields of flowers but the hedge maze of Rawlings. Monday afternoon through Thursday afternoon, between one and six, the hedge maze and formal flower garden were open to the public for the princely sum of three pence a person. The garden and maze were amazingly popular, with an average of forty people a day. Tristan had been forced to hire three more groundskeepers to keep people from going where they were not allowed to.
In fact, his gardens and Percy’s flower fields were so popular that the inn was filled to overflowing every day, and Maxim was now building a new inn and tavern in the small village of Fisher, two miles down the road.
Percy and Lucinda had three children, one boy and two girls, with another on the way, and were wildly happy. Lucinda had been heralded by the members of the botanical world for producing an orange rose with light red edging.
Winnifred and Maxim had four children, and in addition to breeding cats and draft horses, ran a shelter for stray and injured animals. The shelter was very popular among the ladies of the ton, and they hosted an annual fall ball to raise funds for the animals.
Tristan saw more guests arriving and placed his papers in his leather folio before placing them in his desk.
“Bella, Penny, and Jules are here with the boys,” Tristan stated, leaning down to sweep up Bell who yawned before wrapping a thin arm about his neck and leaning her head against his shoulder.
“Oh, they are early,” Arabella cried in delight and slipped her brush into a jar of water at her feet.
Tristan stepped down out of the summer house to the soft, verdant lawn and stepped up to Arabella, placing a kiss to her cheek as little Howard came racing up to them, followed by Marcus’s second son, Thomas.
“Papa, Mama, Cousin Seamus, and Sebastian are here,” Howard cried. At four, Howard was tall for his age, and with his dark brown hair looked just like Tristan. Thomas was the spitting image of Marcus, with white blond hair, huge blue eyes, and long legs promising that he’d be as tall as his father one day.
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“I see Howard, why don’t you and Thomas run ahead? We will be right there.” Tristan replied, smiling as the two little boys nodded as one and turned to race across the lawn.
Tristan held his hand out to Arabella, who took it with a gentle squeeze. She was also pregnant again, she was hoping for a girl, and Tristan was hoping for healthy and a safe delivery for Arabella.
“Seamus and Sebastian have gotten so tall now,” Arabella said as she walked with Tristan across the lawn to greet the last of their friends.
“Well, they are eighteen and seventeen now,” Tristan reminded her. “Though I agree it is hard to believe that over five years have passed since we met and wed.”
“Wonderful years,” Arabella added, squeezing Tristan’s fingers.
“Yes, marvelous years,” Tristan replied as they approached Penelope, Jules, and the boys.
Jules and Penelope had married a year after they had first met, and Penelope, despite being in her thirties, had given birth to three sons, much to Jules delight. Jules in addition to being a good and loving father was a supportive and kind stepfather, who, while often stern with Seamus and Sebastian was never harsh or cruel. Sebastian and Seamus, loved Jules and their three younger half-brothers, Justin, Leonard, and Barnaby. Penelope had explained to the boys how their late father had treated her, and they were happy that Penelope was now married to a kindly man.
“Uncle Tristan, Aunt Arabella,” Sebastian called out and hurried up to them to hug them both, while Seamus, who was carrying little Justin, followed to give them each a one-armed hug before setting down the little boy.
“Good heavens, I barely recognize you both now,” Tristan said, then plopped little Bell on her legs as she was reaching for her cousins.
“Hello, little Bell,” Sebastian said, while beside, him Seamus set down his brother.
“Bastian, Sea,” Bell cried happily, waving at them and earning a smile from the young men. Bell could manage their full names yet, but neither young man seemed to mind.
“How was your trip?” Arabella asked after receiving a hug from Penelope.
“Exhausting, the morning sickness is awful this time. I’m hoping for some of your mint tonic and that you will be able to deliver this one when it arrives,” Penelope laid a hand on her rounded belly.
“Gladly, go rest, and I will have one of the maids fetch you the tonic,” Arabella replied.
“Thank you, that would be wonderful. Are we the last?” Penelope replied.
“Oh, no, Victor, Elizabeth, and the children are due to arrive tomorrow, and Fanny and the Duke are to arrive before dinner,” Tristan replied, resting a hand on Bell’s head.
“I still can’t believe that Brentwood found a female to not only put up with him, but to marry him,” Jules shook his head.
“Brent was clever enough to see what a wonderful young woman Fanny was and Fanny simply had similar interests to him; it is a perfect match,” Arabella replied. She stepped forward to take Penelope’s arm, then reached down to take Bell’s hand. “Come, I will see you comfortable, and then it is time for the little ones to go in and have their afternoon snack.”
“I’d best go, Penelope can’t manage to sit without help,” Jules looked down at his small sons. “Come along, boys, let’s go see the ponies.” Justin, Leonard, and Barnaby gave their father a nod and followed along behind their parents.
“Uncle Tristan, we were wondering if we could move back into Hastings House this fall?” Sebastian asked and Seamus nodded in agreement.
Tristan gave them a puzzled look, “You don’t plan to live at Cambridge this fall? Or have you had a fight with Jules?”
“No, nothing like that. Jules is a fine stepfather and very agreeable. It’s just with the new baby on the way, things shall be noisy and hard to study, it is chaos enough with the little one running about. And we don’t want to stay at Cambridge as we have heard the horror stories of the hazing that happens. We know what father did and how he treated mother; if others found out the rumors and slurs would be terrible. Then there is the fact mother married a commoner. We both want to focus on our studies.” Seamus replied.
“I understand, of course, you may move back in. The house is large enough and I trust you both not have drunken parties in my absence.” Tristan replied earning head shakes from the brothers.
“Oh no sir,” Sebastian replied.
“Very well, I trust you both. I’ll send a note to Buttons to let him know you will be moving back in.” Tristan stated.
“Thank you uncle, now if it is all right we want to do the hedge maze, may we take the little ones?” Seamus asked looking down at the boys.
“Oh, yes, please, Papa?” Howard asked.
“It is fine with me, but go ask your uncle Marcus and aunt Clara,” Tristan prompted.
“Yes, sir. Come, Howard, Thomas, let’s see if the others want to join us?” Seamus knelt to ask the boys, who nodded and then raced off towards Marcus.
“I’m surprised you would want to take the boys; most young men your age would want nothing to do with children,” Tristan said as he followed after his son and Thomas.
“No, no, we rather enjoy their company and their high spirits,” Sebastian replied.
Tristan simply nodded and followed after the others, watching in amusement as the boys asked Marcus and Clara, who nodded assent, much to the boy’s joy. Tristan stepped up to Clara and slipped an arm about her waist pulling her against his side.
Tristan watched his nephews escort the youngsters across the lawn and smiled, then turned to look at his friends and family spread across, the lawn laughing and enjoying each other’s company.
“It is a wonderful day, isn’t it, just one of many since we wed. I love you, Tristan,” Arabella rested her head against his shoulder, and he tightened his arm about her.
“I love you too, and you’re right, it is a wonderful day. And a wonderful life, Seamus and Sebastian have asked permission to move into Hastings House this fall while they are at Cambridge. They don’t want to live there for fear of hazing. I said yes, of course.” Tristan stated. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, of course not I, love them too, we have a very large and loving family now,” Arabella said with a smile.
“We do, and one that is growing all the time it seems. Good thing we have so many rooms.” Tristan quipped earning a smile and a nod from Arabella. He might have lost his old family but he had a better and more loving one now and he promised to hold them close for the rest of his life.